Dr. Thomas Das

Of the more than two dozen awards given to graduating medical students each year, the Iatros Award holds a special place. That’s because it’s the one that students award themselves, and this year’s winner is Dr. Thomas Das.

“How could you not feel humbled by winning the Iatros Award?” asked Dr. Das, who additionally received the Dr. Richard Mays Smith Award in Internal Medicine. “I just feel lucky to go to school with these people, and they feel that way about me? I’m incredibly honored.”

A 2009 graduate of Houston’s Kinkaid High School, Dr. Das went on to earn an undergraduate degree in biology at Dartmouth College before coming to UT Southwestern Medical School. After graduation, he is headed to a residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, with long-term plans for a career in cardiology.

He credits his parents – Micky and Andrea Das – for providing him with the grounding to succeed at UT Southwestern.

“My father is not a doctor – he’s an attorney – but he’s very diligent and caring and someone I can look up to,” he said, “and my mother raised me and my two siblings after stepping away from a career in accounting to become a homemaker. What I learned from them has been very important to me, especially in medical school.”

“There are few higher honors than being chosen by your peers as the example they aspire to and the physician to which they would entrust their family members care,” said Dr. Angela Mihalic, Dean of Medical Students and Associate Dean for Student Affairs. “We could not be prouder of Tommy, who represents all of the qualities that we hope to impart in our medical students. I have no doubt that he will continue to serve as a role model during his residency and hopefully future career in academic medicine.”

Iatros is the Greek word for “physician.” The UT Southwestern Medical School Class of 1984 established the Iatros Award to honor a graduate who most emulates the complete qualities of a physician. Fellow graduates Dr. Kate Squiers and Dr. Fantine Giap said Dr. Das epitomizes those traits.

“I think Tommy is set apart by his insatiable curiosity and inquiring mind that – when turned toward patient care – has already improved the experience of patients in our community on a broad scale,” Dr. Squiers said.

“He embodies the role of a caregiver in every sense of the word,” added Dr. Giap. “He is a servant-leader, selflessly dedicating his time to everything he possibly can. He is our ever-on-call confidant and friend, whether he is coming to rescue a friend stranded at the airport or discussing troublesome clinical ethical issues over coffee on his day off. I cannot think of someone who is more deserving of this recognition.”

The award carries a cash prize provided by the UT Southwestern Alumni Association, which will come in handy as Dr. Das prepares to move to Baltimore and plans a December wedding with his fiancée, Olivia Martin.

Asked where he sees himself in five years, Dr. Das smiled and said, “I’ll probably still be in training, but after that I have a strong interest in teaching. I’ve been inspired by my teachers here at UT Southwestern.”

“I can see that,” said Dr. Reeni Abraham, Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Co-Director of the Internal Medicine Clerkship. “He’s a natural leader, with an innate curiosity about how things work.

“When Tommy started telling us what he’d like to accomplish in the teaching realm during his fourth year, we tried to tell him that he wouldn’t have time. And yet, he made the time. He co-taught a monthly ethics seminar. He helped organized a near-peer-led reflective writing conference. Above all, Tommy has a leadership presence, and the students want to follow him.

“Can he teach in the future? Why not? He’s already teaching,” Dr. Abraham added.